Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I have recently entered the home staging market in Missouri. This is a popular and lucrative business on the East and West Coast but has not cought on in the midwest yet. Since the housing market is so slow, I would think there would be plenty of opportunities for homesellers to have their house staged to sell quickly and for top dollar. I also thought that Realtors would be searching out my services to help them move homes they have listed. I need suggestions on how to get a way for the homeseller to be able to pay me after the property closes without risking doing all of the work and having them decide that they want to take the house off the market or something else that would ruin my chances of getting paid. Any ideas.

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Gerri Downen ASP Accredited Staging Professional www.unitystaging.com

need suggestions on how to get a way for the homeseller to be able to pay me after the property closes without risking doing all of the work and having them decide that they want to take the house off the market or something else that would ruin my chances of getting paid. Any ideas. [/QUOTE]

Try stagingdiva.com - it is an online course that may help you. Also just type in "home staging" in your browser and a lot of info will come up. That is what I did. Success to you!
Regards
jo



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Jo
NJ

Jo,

Thanks for the info. I am an ASP (Accredited Staging Professional) and understand the staging end of it, I just need to figure out the payment end of it. I`m from the Show Me State, and people here are not ready to give up their money unless they know something is going to work. I know staging works, it just hasn`t cought on here yet. I`ve even thought of doing a job for free to gain exposure through a feature article in the newspaper, the trouble is, I have already done several jobs for free and all I have gotten back were great testimonials. I don`t discount the value of the testimonials, I just want to start getting paid for my work in order to offset my initial investments. Thanks again for the tip. If you come up with any other ideas, I`m open!

Thanks,

Gerri

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Gerri Downen ASP Accredited Staging Professional www.unitystaging.com

Have I ever told you guys how great StartUp Nation is?
My wife, who has a natural design knack, would like to start a staging business and has had the same question.
I suggested she work with a realtor on a few free jobs. From what I know about the real estate business, it`s tight-knit and word-of-mouth really works, especially when someone is bringing in more money.
Just an idea. Not sure of the feasibility.
I`d be interested in what you find out.

The Swaynester

What exactly is home staging?

Some marketing ideas:
- Network with real estate agents and brokers via chamber of commerces and local business networking events
- Advertise on local real estate publications (either web or print based)
- Partner with other service providers in the home selling industry (i.e. real estate attorneys, home inspectors, etc.)

Staging is  preparing a house to sell regardless of price, location or condition, to bring top dollar, quickly. We nuetralize the house to make it attractive to "most" buyers. We De-clutter, Nuetralize, deep clean then stage. Staging is generally the placement or removal of various items to create the most appealing atmosphere for the buyer. 

Thanks for your ideas. I have begun networking by attending open houses, passing out business cards, etc. That has brought some business.

Thanks,

Gerri 

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Gerri Downen ASP Accredited Staging Professional www.unitystaging.com

Hi Gerri,
I mentioned stagingdiva.com because the woman that runs this site gives online courses (for a fee) but I did ask her some questions which she answered. So that may be something that you may want to try.
Thanks


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Jo
NJ

Jo,

Thank you, it`s worth a try! I`ll give her a call. She has a beautiful website.

Gerri

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Gerri Downen ASP Accredited Staging Professional www.unitystaging.com

Good Luck
Keep us posted ok?



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Jo
NJ

Hi there, I am in real estate in California, and my thought or suggestion would be to creat a portfolio (even if you need to prepare your own home for staging pictures), if you have not already, and definitely get in contact with the highest end clientele/realtors, in your area. With the market slightly softening, staging can be a great way for sellers to get top dollar...sadly...as prices stabilize and/or drop, many sellers may opt to cut their expenses...so you may end up needing to offer a scale of staging presentations from moderate to high end.

Hope your ventures are profitable
Michele, Santa Monica

PS: I would suggest considering having the sellers pay you at least a good portion up front, if not all of the expense.....initially they may balk, however, this staging is to their benefit.


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People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.
- George Bernard Shaw